Twinkle Twinkle Little Star

Several nights ago I was having a hard time going to sleep, and then staying asleep once I found my dreamland, so I spent some of the dark hours looking at the stars.  They are so bright and clear here in Ellenboro!  Even brighter and bigger than I remember from childhood when my Dad would try, with unending patience... even as I'm sure I unendingly tried his patience with just not getting it, to show me how to find the constellations of Idaho's night sky.  During my gazings, and trying to equate what I saw in the sky to what the Sky Map app on my phone told me I was looking at, I started to wonder at the imagination of whoever anciently decided which stars go together in that cosmic scale dot-to-dot we call constellations.  These are the stars of Capricornus.  You don't see that astrological goat the zodiac uses to symbolically describe the attributes of people like me who are born between mid-December and mid-January either?

Now?  Having the lines drawn in sure makes it easier to see...  My mind is still in awe at the idea that another human brain came up with this.  How did they pick one star over another, that our finite earthly sight, looks close enough to keep the same shape? And what inspired them to look for patterns among the stars?  What keeps us looking today?

I fully admit that any time I go outside at night, I look up.  And I can usually spot the Big Dipper, a part of the Ursa Major constellation, and sometimes even its smaller counterpart that features the North Star, Polaris, as the bright jewel of its handle.

That, sadly, is about the extent of my ability without the help of some sort of chart or map or more experienced star gazer.  I fear wouldn't get far if I had to navigate a trip using the stars... Thank goodness today our cells phone offer an app for that!

I was still star gazing at 1:00 am when the dogs decided they just had to go out.  With the door open to slip the lead onto Lightning's collar, I noticed one really bright star just over the top of the hill this little cabin faces.  I took a guess that it might be Sirius.  I was right!!  How appropriate to be greeted by the "dog star" on that particular errand!

When we were all settled under the blankets again, I noticed on my app how many planets were lined up on or next to the line identified as the ecliptic.  I don't know that this kind of planetary alignment has any special meaning or not, or that the planets were even all lined up anywhere but on my phone app, but it reminded me how big and very ordered this universe we call home really is.  And what a small bit of dust I am in it.  And yet my Bible and my experience tells me that I am important enough that the very God who created all this takes thought of me.  Even when I'm questioning and don't really feel like I've got much of His attention lately... Maybe that's the best reminder of all that I could draw from a night spent looking at the stars and wondering about what's really out there.

See how the Moon, Neptune, Mars, and Pluto are lined up?  Uranus was on the
same line beyond this screen capture beyond the Moon on the one side and
both Venus and Mercury were beyond Pluto on the other.  That faint line is noted
as the Ecliptic and points to the Sun.

And how amazing is it that we can see (maybe with the help of a telescope) so many strange and different worlds?  Wouldn't visiting them be an adventure to blog about?

(All photos in this post are screen captures from the Sky Map app for Androids.)

First Adventure

Can you even believe my dogs still like riding in the car?  Even after being cramped in the back of a loaded Explorer for upwards of 1,000 miles and having meal times, sleep schedules, and potty breaks turn completely upside down and irregular they still perk up and get excited by the words, “let’s go for a ride.”  I think they are better road warriors than I am!!

So today, I loaded them up and we went in search of what we could see.  It started with a trip to Harrisville.  The mileage marker says it’s 4 miles but I swear… it feels more like 40!  Ok, that’s an exaggeration.  But it does feel like a lot more than 4.  My friend, when he was still here with us, called it the longest 4 miles in the whole world.

I forgot to get a couple of gallons of drinking/cooking water when I got food earlier so my plan was to stop in Harrisville and do that.  I failed.  But we sure had a good time site seeing!

Part way through town, there’s a brown sign with an arrow that says Public Creek Access.  That sounded like a good way to start our afternoon’s adventure so I turned and followed the signs through many streets worth of residential neighborhood… Finally, we arrived at the entrance to Haught Lakeside Recreational Area and a sign announcing it is the site of a Bass Tournament tomorrow (9/24/16).  I’ve never really seen a Bass before… but apparently, if I decide to take up fishing again, that’s what I will be catching.  With any luck, I’ll be catching some anyway!  Maybe I’ll drive back over and see if I can get a look and some tips for catching, cleaning and cooking a Bass.

One of the boat launches at Haught Lakeside
Recreational Area in Harrisville, WV.

It’s a lovely park laid out along one bank of a reservoir.  There are picnic shelters and a baseball diamond and a really nice playground, too.  But it was the scenery that had me intrigued.

More of the shoreline at Haught Lakeside
Recreational Area.

The supernally loud and enthusiastic eeeeee-yah'ing of a brown donkey made our exit memorable.  Even the animals are friendly around here!  He hot-footed it down the hillside, until the fence around his yard stopped him, braying like he'd only just discovered the joy of music and had every intention of using all the notes.  At once.  Of course, my boys had to answer in kind.  Manners, you know?

Our new donkey friend held back from a personal visit
only by the electric fence around his yard.

After a bit, we meandered our way back down to Main Street and I saw the brown sign pointing to North Bend State Park and we were off again.  First, we ended up on the other shore of the reservoir at Cokely Recreational Area.  I was so reminded of Idaho!!  It’s not exactly the same, but there were sure some striking similarities…  Trekking on, we entered the park.  Also beautiful!!  And more developed than I anticipated with a golf course, lodge, pool, gift shop, and lots of campsites and picnic areas.

Cokely Recreational Area.
This place made me think so much of
Idaho.  Or at least the way I remember
it from childhood... Think the roadways
around Heise.

Cokely Recreational Area.
Made me think so much of driving over
Antelope Flats in Idaho.

Cokely Recreational Area.

When I was completely lost, I pulled out the Garmin to get us home.  It showed a 15-minute trip… and then it guided me over a lovely metal bridge and down a 1-lane gravel road where I expected to hear banjo music ringing out from any one of the run-down houses.  We emerged back onto Hwy 50 less than 5 miles from where we started the day’s adventure.  How’s that for driving in circles?

North Bend State Park.
The dam holding back all the water for that reservoir that provides
recreational opportunities in the area. I saw a deer just before the
turn in here and wanted to take a photo... I could have, too, except
for the "bumper humper" who was urging me on down the road.
There were several people fishing all along the spillway. What
a peaceful and idyllic setting!!

Part of the spillway below the dam.  One of the trail heads starts here and runs
along those big rocks in the background.

Watershed draining rain and snow runoff into
the reservoir.  I bet, after a good storm, it
looks like a water fall gushing over those
downed tree branches!

Roadside driving through the park.

We crossed this bridge after leaving the park and before the road out turned
into 1-lane and gravel.  I'm a big fan of old metal bridges!!